Christmas is just around the corner. I come from a big family, and need to plan ahead about what I am going to get everyone for Christmas. I find that spreading out my gift purchases over a few months really helps me stay within my budget. It also is a good way to stay organized, so I don’t end up shopping on Christmas Eve for the one or two presents that I forgot to pick up.
Is there a genealogist in your family? If you are not a genealogist yourself, you may be having some difficulty trying to figure out what to buy for that person. You want a gift that they will like, which means that it should somehow reflect or match what their interests are. So, if your family member is a genealogist, it means you are going to be shopping for some gifts related to genealogy.
Are you stumped about what to buy? If you are drawing a blank, you might want to try some of these suggestions as a gift for your family’s genealogists.
Buy them a membership.
Few genealogy websites are free. Most of them, including the popular ones like Ancestry.com, and Archives.com, cost money to use. While both come with a free trial, there will be a fee once that free trial ends. These genealogy websites are very important tools for genealogists. Buy the genealogist in your family a monthly or annual membership to one of these websites.
Go for a humorous gift.
Genealogists, as a group, have a great sense of humor. CafePress.com is a good place to find t-shirts with funny sayings that will make genealogists laugh. How about a t-shirt that says: I Seek Dead People? Or, get a t-shirt that says “Genealogy: where you confuse the dead and irritate the living”. They also have magnets, mouse pads, canvas tote bags, coffee mugs, and aprons.
Get them a magazine subscription.
If you are looking for a “stocking stuffer”, or smaller gift, you might want to consider getting the genealogist in your family a subscription to a genealogy related magazine. A great way to do this is to go ahead and get them the subscription, and then pick up the latest copy of the magazine. Attach a note, or even a Christmas card, to let them know you have given them a subscription to the magazine they now hold in their hand. You can find a selection of genealogy related magazines at any big chain bookstore.
Image by Paul Roth on Flickr